Certain releases stand out as stepping stones during my years. It is with a debt of gratitude, that at the tail-end of the 80s, I began college and was introduced to a wider variety of metal. It only took a knock on a door that was muffling the sounds of heavy metal and clinking beer cans.

There on the room's wall was a large, hand-painting of a science fiction space scene with a lone, cloaked traveler walking toward a carved archway. The arch was a "gateway" to another mysterious place, a portal to some galaxy beyond. The entire scene is alive with vibrant blues and greens that invite you into the strange landscape.

What I learned then was the painting was from the cover of an album called 'Awaken the Guardian' by a band named Fates Warning...[Full Column Link]